Sometimes I regret living such an isolated life, other times I relish in it. The week after the photo-shoot had been the most terrifying and yet frightening time I had ever experienced. The views on my website had skyrocketed after the post about the photo-shoot had been published. Thanks to Emma I knew that Nate had given it a mention at the end of one of his main channel videos and advocated it on Twitter as well. The #PhotogenicSillyNate had hundred thousands mentions on the social media, along with showcasing my photos.
Sponsors had contacted me since the views had gone so high up that people now wanted to sponsor my blog. I didn’t quite know how to feel about it all. I knew some people lived of just being a blogger or a YouTuber but it seemed weird to me. My blog had always been a hobby; a creative outlet but I had never considered a job or hard work.
Nate had not texted me at all. I found myself bothered by the fact even though I shouldn’t. He had just said he would call but he could have changed his mind and that was, of course, his right. I tried to convince myself that it didn’t bother me.
“How’s many subscribers do you have now, Em?” I asked as she came out of her room and grabbed a bowl of cereal. I was sat at the counter with a Harry Potter book and my yogurt.
“Almost five thousand! Can you believe that? So many people from my Instagram and quite a few through your blog as well. It’s only been a week and I already have so many!”
I smiled widely. I hadn’t seen Emma this excited in a long time. She had gotten a good amount of response on her introductory video but her newest tag video had been hilarious. I couldn’t remember the name of the tag but it was basically her answering questions about herself but her humorous side really showed through.
I had been touched when she spoke about her loving family. I felt a little uncomfortable with her mentioned her strained relationship with mum online for so many people to see but it was outweighed when she spoke so fondly of me. I would have to talk to mum later.
My phone buzzed and, as I had done every time since I wrote that e-mail, I jumped and immediately checked it. Yes, I am that smooth.
“Who texted you?” Emma asked and snatched the phone out of my hand with her little devilish hands before I could see whom it was from.
“Give it back!” I demanded and tried to take it but Emma just got up and sprinted across the room. I followed suit and attacked her on the couch, effectively retrieving my phone.
“Gee, he must be someone special,” she laughed. “Is it someone from your lectures or might it be Nate?”
I had no doubt that my face changed colour to tomato-red. I had not told Emma about the e-mail. I don’t really know why I didn’t; I usually shared everything with her. I guess, I was afraid that he would not text me and I would look like a fool in the eyes of my sister and I didn’t want that, I wanted to keep my big sister credibility.
“Why would you say that?”
“About Nate? Well, it was pretty obvious that you two had chemistry. I mean, he practically looked star struck after he saw you.”
“No, he did not,” I protested.
“Yes, he did. Remember? You were photographing me and he came up behind you with a cheeky remark but when you turned around he would utter one word for the first couple of minutes.”
I frowned my brows and tried to remember. She was right that he did not speak but that wasn’t because he was star struck of me, he probably just got a good look of my sister close up. So my response was to stick my tongue out at my sister like we did when we were children. Well, we do it on a regular basis, so I guess we never really grew up.
I finally turned on the phone to see a text from an unknown number. Could it be him? Why did I care so much? Goddammit.
*Hi Abbs ;) Did you give me a real number or is this someone else?*
Of course, he would call me by the nickname. Or at least I assume it is him.
*You have the wrong number. No Abbs here* I reply. Immediately after I spend another text saying that I was just kidding.
*You almost got me. Was getting the feeling u didn’t like me. What are you doing this weekend?*
My heart sped up and I had completely forgotten that my sister was still sitting next to me and now she leaned over the view the screen and I was too slow to react. Damn, I knew I should have gotten one of those screen-coats that makes the screen dark unless you look at it straight on.
“Hashtag flirt-alert!” she almost screamed and snapped me out of my temporary comatose state. “It’s Nate, isn’t it? My sister is going out with a famous YouTuber! I’m so excited! Could you please convince him to do a collab with me? That would help my channel tremendously.”
I have always been very expressive with my eyes and right now I was glaring daggers at my sister. Talking about being inappropriate. And wrong, I most certainly wasn’t going out with. I never dated.
“I don’t…”
“I was kidding, Abbey! But it is him and you do like him, correct?”
I was speechless. I was never speechless. I always had something to say. Granted, mostly I kept those thoughts to myself but I had never been this unsure of myself. Emma didn’t knew he was talking about a photography job.
“Not a date,” I finally said. “He wanted to hire me for another job,” I added.
“To what? Take photos of him half-naked?” Emma giggled.
I sent her a stone-cold look.
“Come on, don’t be such a prude. Just text him back before he gets too worried. He’s probably waiting by his phone.”
Realising Emma might be right; I quickly put my fingers to the screen and typed.
*I don’t have any plans. Why?*
“That actually makes me sound rather pathetic,” I said when I stared at the words.
“Yes, but you kind of are. In an cute way of course,” Emma said and got out of her chair. She planted a kiss on my forehead before going back to her room, probably to be on the social media and going to promote herself.
Next I knew the phone was ringing. I never talked on the phone with anyone other than mum or dad. Hands trembling I picked it up.
“Hey Abbs, you don’t have your phone on Facetime?” Nate’s voice rang through the phone.
“Uhm, no. I guess not. I only really talk to my parents and neither has a smart phone,” I explained.
“What about your friends?” he asked and sounded genuinely curious.
I felt slightly odd speaking about my friendships, or lack thereof, but it was nothing to be ashamed of. I did have friends when I was little but then I started getting anxious being around people and pushed away the few friends I had made.
“Don’t really have that many friends, or any really,” I said completely blunt.
A pause filled the line. He probably thought that was weird. Most people did have friends.
“Oh, I didn’t mean…” he started.
“Hey,” I cut him of. “No need for pity. It’s a personal issue of mine but I’m fine with it.”
“You’re quite extraordinary,” he said slowly, and seductively? My mind was running of to places it shouldn’t.
“About the weekend?” I asked, trying to get him and my own mind back on track.
“Yes, I’m going to hit three mil this early this weekend and has something special planned for it. I wanted to know if you could come and take photos?”
“Congratulations, that is a lot of people. I guess I’ll come,” I answered.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m asking you to come and have fun and take photos that you can post on your blog if you want to, but it’s not a job,” he said.
He was inviting me. Not because the YouTube headquarters or whatever had asked him. I instantly got anxious.
“What would this special celebration entail? I’m not much for surprises.”
“I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else, okay? That includes your sister.”
“Okay, I won’t tell her,” I promised.
“I have set up a group of games and challenges that me and a lot of my YouTube friends are going to do in pairs. The main video will be up on my channel but all the guys will be filming too. It’s going to be so fun and I know the viewers will enjoy it.”
He sounded really excited.
“How many are there going to be there?
“Zoe, Alfie and Marcus – the people you met in Brighton. Then Joe, Caspar, Jack and Finn, plus a couple of people from HQ and then me, and you if you agree.”
I wanted to stop and think it through. My gut told me to agree to the invitation and jump in with both feet while my head reminded me that I would be surrounded by people I didn’t know and without my sister or anyone as support system. I wondered why he would want me there anyway.
“What do you say? Or is the connection gone on us? Hello?”
“I’m still here. Just thinking. I would be a bit overwhelming to be honest but I would love to come,” I finally settle on. I could live my life sitting on my hands, or I could get off my arse and go experience it, for better or worse.
“Great, I’ll text you the address. You live in London, right?”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“Great, then it won’t be too far to travel. See you the day after tomorrow!”
“Yes, bye and thank you for the invitation,” I said politely.
I heard a muffled laugh and I assumed it was caused by my formality.
“Farewell, Milady.”
I was expanding my comfort zone, even talking to a stranger on the phone, and now I agreed to a large gathering, after my standards. I took a deep breath. I felt the concern in the pit of my stomach, would I be able to handle the change that was guaranteed to follow after this?